West Virginia University College of Law professor Jesse Richardson presented at a recent program hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center. The program, titled "Wind and Solar Farms in Farm Country: Addressing Land Use Conflicts" was held on January 19, 2022. A recording is now available to watch: https://uada.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=b2d87be8-6d94-48e3-a8c7-ae220131e443.
With co-presenters Whitney Morgan, also of WVU Law, and Peggy Kirk Hall of Ohio State University, Professor Richardson authored a related article: " Land Use Conflicts Between Wind and Solar Renewable Energy and Agricultural Uses".
From the abstract:
The terms “solar farm” and “wind farm” could not more perfectly demonstrate the inevitable pairing of renewable energy and agriculture as uses of land. At the same time, harvesting the sun and wind and converting both to energy forms usable to mankind are far from traditional agricultural practices. This paper first reviews the issues arising between renewable energy and agriculture when siting the two uses, highlights results of research on the status of state laws in place that weigh the interests of renewables and use of agricultural lands, and compiles recommendations from existing laws, recent state bills, as well as leading resources on siting renewables on agricultural lands, including model code language.
Find more of Professor Richardson's scholarship on his SelectedWorks profile.